High-definition optical disc format war

Optical discs
General Optical disc Optical disc drive Optical disc authoring Authoring software Recording technologies Recording modes Packet writing Burst cutting area
Optical media types Compact disc (CD): CD-DA, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, 5.1 Music Disc, Super Audio CD (SACD), Photo CD, CD Video (CDV), Video CD (VCD), Super Video CD (SVCD), CD+G, CD-Text, CD-ROM XA, CD-i, MIL-CD, Mini CD Digital Versatile Disc (DVD): DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-R DL, DVD+R DL, DVD-R DS, DVD+R DS, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, DVD-RAM, DVD-D, DVD-A, DVD-Video, HVD, EcoDisc, MiniDVD Blu-ray Disc (BD): BD-R & BD-RE, Blu-ray 3D, Mini Blu-ray Disc, 4K Blu-ray (Ultra HD Blu-ray) M-DISC Universal Media Disc (UMD) Enhanced Versatile Disc (EVD) Forward Versatile Disc (FVD) Holographic Versatile Disc (HVD) China Blue High-definition Disc (CBHD) HD DVD: HD DVD-R, HD DVD-RW, HD DVD-RAM High-Definition Versatile Multilayer Disc (HD VMD) VCDHD GD-ROM Personal Video Disc (PVD) MiniDisc (MD): MD Data, MD Data2 Hi-MD LaserDisc (LD): LD-ROM, LV-ROM Video Single Disc (VSD) Magneto-optical discs Ultra Density Optical (UDO) 3D optical data storage Stacked Volumetric Optical Disk (SVOD) Fluorescent Multilayer Disc Hyper CD-ROM Nintendo optical disc (NOD) Archival Disc (AD) Professional Disc DataPlay
Standards SFF ATAPI/MMC Mount Rainier (packet writing) Mount Fuji (layer jump recording) Rainbow Books File systems ISO 9660 Joliet Romeo Rock Ridge / SUSP El Torito Apple ISO 9660 Extensions Universal Disk Format (UDF) ISO 13490
See also History of optical storage media High-definition optical disc format war
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The high-definition optical disc format war was a market competition between two optical disc standards for distributing high-definition video: Blu-ray Disc, backed by Sony, and HD DVD, backed by Toshiba. The conflict lasted from 2006 to 2008 and concluded with Blu-ray emerging as the dominant format. Both formats were developed in the early 2000s as successors to the DVD, utilizing blue laser technology to increase data storage capacity. Although they employed similar technology, Blu-ray offered higher capacity, while HD DVD benefited from lower manufacturing costs due to its compatibility with existing DVD production infrastructure.

The competition echoed the earlier earlier videotape format war between VHS and Betamax, with hardware manufacturers, movie studios, and retailers divided in their support. Consumer hesitation over which format would prevail contributed to sluggish adoption of both. Blu-ray's eventual dominance was tempered by the rise of digital streaming services during the late-2000's and 2010's, which quickly became a popular alternative to physical media.

Two key factors contributed to Blu-ray's victory: Sony's inclusion of a Blu-ray drive in the PlayStation 3 video game console, which rapidly expanded the installed user base, and the subsequent shift in support from major movie studios and retailers toward Blu-ray. On February 19, 2008, Toshiba officially announced that it would cease development of HD DVD players, effectively conceding the format war.